Suction cleaners



Oct. 19, 1965 w. A. HUMPHREY SUCTION CLEANERS Filed March 8, 1963 United States Patent 3,212,119 SUCTION CLEANERS Warren A. Humphrey, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Mar. 8, 1963, Ser No. 263,957 6 Claims. (Cl. 15-391) The present invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to assembling a combined bag, motor and fan housing on the nozzle body of a suction cleaner.

An object of the invention is to provide the nozzle body of a suction cleaner with spaced rearwardly projecting sections and assembling a bag housing thereto by inserting the latter between the sections from the underside thereof and attaching the bag housing to the nozzle body by means accessible from the underside of the nozzle body. Another object is to provide the foregoing cleaner with marginal slots in the underside of each of the sections to receive bearing means for the bag housing to rotatably secure the latter on the nozzle body. A further object is to provide a passageway in each of the sections one for agitator driving means and the other including facilities to convey dirt-laden air from the nozzle in the body to a filter bag. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the suction cleaner,

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of the cleaner taken along the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view showing the relation of the parts prior to assembling the combined bag and motor-fan housing onto the nozzle body,

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 2 showing the arrangement of one of the supporting brackets relative to the nozzle body prior to assembly thereto, and

FIGURE 5 is an exploded view along the line 5-5 in FIGURE 2 of the other supporting bracket relative to the nozzle body prior to assembly thereto.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a body having a top wall 11 and a nozzle 12 at its forward portion from which rearwardly projects space-d sections 13 and 14 joined adjacent their rear ends by a bar 15. A wall 16 rearwardly of the nozzle 12 cooperates with the sections 13 and 14 and rear bar to define a space 17 therebetween. The nozzle 12 has front and rear lips 18 and 19 respectively and opposite end walls 20 and 21. Rotatably mounted in the end walls 20 and 21 of the nozzle 12 is an agitator 22 and the latter is provided with a pulley 23 positioned beyond the end wall 20.

The rearwardly projecting section 13 is formed by a portion of the top wall 11 and a depending outer wall 24 extending from the nozzle front lip 18 to an arcuate rear wall 25 and by a depending inner Wall 26 projecting from the nozzle rear lip 19. A partition 27 spaced from the arcuate rear Wall 25 cooperates with the side walls 24-26 and top wall 11 to provide a drive passageway 28. The other side section 14 has an outer wall 29 extending from the nozzle front wall 18 to an arcuate rear end 30, and an inner wall 31 projects rearwardly from the nozzle rear lip 19. A partition 32 spaced forwardly of the arcuate rear end cooperates with the outer wall 29, inner wall 31 and body top wall 11 to form a hose passageway 33.

The nozzle body 10 is supported on a pair of front wheels 34 mounted on a shaft 35 attached to the passageway inner walls 26 and 31 between the nozzle rear lip 19 and the wall 16, and on rear wheels 36 secured in brackets 37 at the rear ends of the sections 13 and 14.

3 ,2 12,1 19 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 Rotatably mounted on the sections 13 and 14 in the space 17 is a housing 40 having a motor-fan chamber 41 at its lower end 42, and spaced upwardly from the latter is a bag chamber 44 having a cover 45 held in closed position by a latch 46. A partition 43 separates the two chambers 41 and 44. Suitably arranged in the bag chamber 44 is a filter bag 47 which is connected by a hose 48 to the nozzle 12. The hose 48 extends from the housing 40 through an opening 49 in the nozzle body into the hose passageway 33 and forwardly to an adaptor 50 which is removably seated adjacent an opening in the nozzle rear lip 19 for communication with the nozzle 12 'to convey dirt-laden air to the bag 47.

An air inlet 51 in the partition 43 provides for passage of clean air from the bag chamber 44 to the motor-fan chamber 41 and the latter has a discharge outlet 52 for escape of air to the atmosphere. Arranged in the chamber 41 is a fan 53 driven by a motor 54 to provide suction in the nozzle 12 and draw dirt-laden air through the hose 48 into the bag 47 which removes the dirt for passage of clean filtered air through the air inlet 51 into the chamber 41 for passage through the motor-fan vunit and discharge to atmosphere through the outlet 52.

The lower end 42 of the housing 40 is provided in its side wall 55 with a trunnion bearing 56 and in its opposite side Wall 57 with a pin 58. The armature shaft 59 of the motor 54 projects through the trunnion bearing 56 and is connected by a belt 60 in the drive passageway 28 with the pulley 23 to drive the agitator 22. A bracket 61 has an opening 62 formed by an annular flange 63 which rotatably receives the trunnion 56. A shoulder 64 at the lower end of the bracket 61 abuts against the lower ends 65 of a pair of vertical ribs 66 to which the bracket 61 is attached by screws 67. The vertical ribs 66 are formed in the inner wall 26 of the drive passageway 28 and are spaced apart to form part of a marginal slot 68 defining a seat against which the flange 63 of the bracket 61 rests when the screws 67 are threaded into the ribs 66.

The pin 58 at the other side 57 of the housing lower portion 42 is rotatably disposed in an opening 69 of a bearing 70 which is attached to the top wall 11 of the hose passageway 33 by a pair of bolts 71 threaded into a block 72. A marginal slot 73 is provided in the inner wall 31 of the hose passageway 33 and its upper walls define a seat against which a portion 74 of the bearing 70 abuts when the latter is secured by the bolts 71 to the top wall 11.

A propelling handle 75 is attached to the upper end of the housing 40 and is provided with a switch 76 to control the flow of current through an electric cord 77 to the motor 54.

In order to assemble the housing 40 including the bag chamber 44 and motor-fan chamber 41 to the nozzle body 10 the latter is placed on a suitable support with its underside positioned upwardly to expose the space 17 and the marginal slots 68 and 73 respectively in the passageway inner walls 26 and 31. The bracket 61 is placed about the trunnion bearing 56 and the bearing 70 about the pin 58 and the handle 75 and upper end of the housing 40 are inserted through the space 17 from the underside of the nozzle body 10 between the sections 13 and 14. The marginal slots 68 and 73 guide the insertion of the housing 40 between the sections 13 and 14 by respectively receiving the bracket 61 with its trunnion bearing 56 and the bearing 70 with its pin 70. The housing 40 is secured in position by the bolts 67 extending through the bracket 61 and threaded into the ribs 66 and by the bolts 71 threaded into the block 72 which secures the bearing 70 to the top Wall 11 along the inner wall 31 of the hose passageway 33. Thereafter the hose 48 is arranged in the passageway 33 by connecting the adaptor 50 to the nozzle rear lip 19.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that the nozzle body is provided with downwardly facing marginal seats which receive the bearings of the combined bag and motor-fan housing and the bearings are attached to the body by bolts exposed to and accessible from the underside of the nozzle body.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a body having a suction air nozzle at its forward portion from the opposite ends of which rearwardly extend spaced apart sections, each of said sections having a top wall and spaced inner and outer depending walls to form a downwardly facing open passageway in each of said sections, said passageways being otherwise closed and thus exposed at the undersides thereof, downwardly facing marginal slot means in each of said passageway inner walls of said sections and the entrance to said marginal slots exposed at said undersides of said passageways, said inner walls being otherwise closed, an elongated housing for suction cleaner parts, said housing having its lower portion arranged between said spaced apart sections, bearing means at opposite sides of the lower portion of said housing and seated in said marginal slots, said housing being of such size relative to the distance between said spaced apart sections it is adapted to be assembled to said body by insertion from the open underside of said body into the space between said sections with said bearing means seated in said marginal slots, and securing means exposed to the open underside of said sections for securing said bearing means to said body without closing said open undersides of said passageways whereby said securing means is at all times accessible without dismantling part of said body.

2. In a suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said bearing means including bracket means seated in said marginal slots and attached to the underside of said body by said securing means.

3. In a suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and said bearing means including a trunnion formed integrally with said housing and attached to the underside of said body by said securing means.

4. In a suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and the closed portion of said marginal slots shaped to provide a seat for said bearing means.

5. In a suction cleaner as described in claim 1, a filter chamber in said housing, and a filter in said chamber, conduit means connecting said nozzle to said filter, means defining an opening in one of said passageways, and said conduit means extending from said filter through said opening into said one passageway to said nozzle and accessible from said underside of said one passageway.

6. In a suction cleaner as described in claim 1, and surface agitating means movably mounted in said nozzle, a motor in said housing and having a pulley projecting into one of said passageways, and drive means in said one passageway connecting said motor pulley to said agitating means to drive the latter, and said drive means accessible from said underside of said one passageway.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,633,596 4/53 Turner et al 15-350 X 2,677,850 5/54 Brace 15-412 X 2,876,481 3/59 Gerber et al 15351 X 2,898,621 8/59 Vance 1S412 X CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Examiner. 

1. IN A SUCTION CLEANER, A BODY HAVING A SUCTION AIR NOZZLE AT ITS FORWARD PORTION FROM THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF WHICH REARWARDLY EXTEND SPACED APART SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS HAVING A TOP WALL AND SPACED INNER AND OUTER DEPENDING WALLS TO FORM A DOWNWARDLY FACING OPEN PASSAGEWAY IN EACH OF SAID SECTIONS, SAID PASSAGEWAYS BEING OTHERWISE CLOSED AND THUS EXPOSED AT THE UNDERSIDES THEREOF, DOWNWARDLY FACING MARGINAL SLOT MEANS IN EACH OF SAID PASSAGEWAY INNER WALLS OF SAID SECTIONS AND THE ENTRANCE TO SAID MARGINAL SLOTS EXPOSED AT SAID UNDERSIDES OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS, SAID INNER WALLS BEING OTHERWISE CLOSED, AN ELONGATED HOUSING FOR SUCTION CLEANER PARTS, SAID HOUSING HAVING ITS LOWER PORTION ARRANGED BETWEEN 